Journal
SCIENCE
Volume 344, Issue 6181, Pages 296-299Publisher
AMER ASSOC ADVANCEMENT SCIENCE
DOI: 10.1126/science.1248484
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Funding
- European Research Council [BioTIME 250189]
- Scottish Funding Council (MASTS) [HR09011]
- Royal Society
- Belspo (Belgian Science Policy)
- NSF
- NOAA Marine Fisheries Service [NA11NMF4540174]
- Fisheries and Oceans Canada
- Government of Nunavut
- Nunavut Wildlife Management Board
- Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
- Nunavut Emerging Fisheries Fund
- Makivik Corporation
- Smithsonian Institution
- Atherton Seidell Grant Program
- NSF [BSR-8811902, DEB 9411973, DEB 0080538, DEB 0218039, DEB 0620910, DEB 0963447]
- Luquillo Long-Term Ecological Research Program
- University of Puerto Rico
- NSF's Long-Term Ecological Research program and Fishery Administration Agency
- Council of Agriculture, Taiwan
- Azores Fisheries Observer Program
- Center of the Institute of Marine Research (IMAR) of the University of the Azores
- NSF's Long-Term Ecological Research Program [DEB 08-23380]
- U.S. Forest Service Pacific Northwest Research Station, and Oregon State University
- Direct For Biological Sciences
- Division Of Environmental Biology [0822700] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Environmental Biology
- Direct For Biological Sciences [0823380] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Division Of Ocean Sciences
- Directorate For Geosciences [1236905] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
- Office Of The Director
- EPSCoR [904155] Funding Source: National Science Foundation
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The extent to which biodiversity change in local assemblages contributes to global biodiversity loss is poorly understood. We analyzed 100 time series from biomes across Earth to ask how diversity within assemblages is changing through time. We quantified patterns of temporal alpha diversity, measured as change in local diversity, and temporal beta diversity, measured as change in community composition. Contrary to our expectations, we did not detect systematic loss of alpha diversity. However, community composition changed systematically through time, in excess of predictions from null models. Heterogeneous rates of environmental change, species range shifts associated with climate change, and biotic homogenization may explain the different patterns of temporal alpha and beta diversity. Monitoring and understanding change in species composition should be a conservation priority.
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